5th Annual Will Barrow Memorial Tournament

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. - After successful runs the past four years, the Will Barrow Memorial Flag Football Tournament returns for the fifth annual event on November 9 with all proceeds going to the UVa HELP Line, a non-profit, student-run crisis hotline. Play is scheduled to start at 10:00 a.m. The event will take place again at UVa's historic Lambeth Field.

The UVa HELP Line is an anonymous, confidential telephone service serving the residents of Charlottesville, Albemarle County and the University of Virginia. It is affiliated with UVa's Madison House. HELP strives to provide callers with an empathetic ear for any sort of issue they wish to discuss and on finding long-term services in the community for callers, such as counseling services, medical services or drug treatment programs.

After the tournament raised nearly $10,000 nationwide during the inaugural event, tournament founder Max Pomper was awarded the IMLCA Boston Market Humanitarian Award for his efforts. The award was created to recognize student-athletes for their strategies and efforts in addressing community needs with campus-based efforts.

"The hotline has been underfunded for 17 years with no sponsorships," said Pomper upon the creation of the tournament in 2009. "We want to honor our friend Will Barrow and spread awareness of suicide prevention. With the HELP hotline, there is an outlet for people in need in times of crisis around UVa and the Charlottesville area. This is something we wish Will would have known about."

The point people for this year's tournament are senior captain Bobby Hill and fifth-year Blake Riley

As a fourth-year player in 2008, Barrow was a captain of a squad that advanced to the semifinals of the NCAA Championships. He was considered one of the top defensive midfielders in the country throughout his career. During his senior season, he finished with a career-high 28 ground balls, while scoring seven goals and adding three assists.

Following the season he was selected in the second round of the Major League Lacrosse draft by the Chicago Machine and appeared in five games during his rookie year. He appeared in 63 games during his UVa career and scored 18 goals with seven assists. Barrow also was a member of the Cavaliers' 2006 NCAA Champion team.

The tournament costs $250 per team with a roster limit of 10 people per team for the 7-on-7 tournament. All participants will receive an orange and blue bracelet that reads "Remember Will Barrow," with the hotline number, 434-295-TALK, inscribed on the inside and a BBQ lunch.

All inquires can be sent to rph3ah@virginia.edu. Donations are welcome via checks payable to: Madison House. Please write on the memo line - "UVa HELP Line."